


a day in the life

by sugdensquad



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Don't forget the cuteness, Family Fluff, Fluff, Like marshmallow levels of fluff, M/M, and Cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugdensquad/pseuds/sugdensquad
Summary: A day in the life of Aaron and Robert and their little family that's perfectly imperfect and all theirs.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for Day 1 of Robron Week: Contains high levels of sweetness and fluff. May induce cavities.
> 
> (Also, if you want to know more about my headcanons/theories for Jacob then feel free to head over to these posts: [link 1](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157355725131/okay-what-traits-would-jacob-dingle-sugden-have) [link 2](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157356798191/say-hello-to-jacob-sugden-people-image-courtesy) [link 3](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157359724106/i-bet-jakob-causes-loads-of-problems-for-robert) [link 4](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157360572641/what-does-robert-see-when-he-looks-at-jacob-then) [link 5](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157439996241/who-holds-jacob-first-aaron-or-robert-which-of) [link 6](http://sugdensquad.tumblr.com/post/157361853576/i-cant-imagine-them-being-dads-uncles-maybe-but)

It’s the sound of raindrops against glass that wakes him. They patter gently behind the closed curtains, tiny knuckles rapping on the window to get Aaron’s attention. He turns over, back arching a little off the mattress and toes curling into the sleep-warm sheets, and smiles as Robert burrows further under the duvet, still lost in a dream.

The room is bathed in an opal light, the sandy wooden boards whitewashed by a sky threatening snow. Maybe he’ll be able to persuade Adam to shut the scrapyard early today, let them skive off due to ‘adverse weather conditions’. He’s sure he can swing that, get home in time to surprise Robert with an hour all to themselves before Liv arrives back from college and they have to go pick up Jacob from nursery.

He listens, expecting to hear the familiar murmur drifting down the hallway from his son’s room, but miraculously the house is quiet, still holding its breath. Aaron does the same, lying on his back listening to the sound of Robert breathing evenly beside him and the whir of the boiler as it clicks on. He loves mornings like this. Maybe because they’re such a rarity these days, but something about waking up before the alarm, before the early morning quiet has been shattered by a whole family waking in unison, feels as close to paradise as he’s ever experienced.

It’s the calm before the storm and Aaron luxuriates in it, stretching out his legs beneath the covers, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness of the morning, and sticking a tentative hand out of the bed to feel just how cold it is.

He grabs his phone, a little icy to the touch, and checks the clock. He’s got to be ready to go in an hour, plenty of time really if it was just him, but that includes dragging a teenager from her bed and persuading a toddler to eat something reasonably healthy. He’ll end up with ten minutes to grab a quick shower and possibly, if he’s lucky, brush his teeth.

It’s a thought that makes him smile, cheeks aching a little with the sheer force of it, and something heavy and warm settles in his chest, a feeling he’s had to grow used to over the last few years.

_Happiness._

He’d struggled with it in the beginning, always waiting for it to be taken off him. Moving into the Mill, Liv settling down, him and Robert planning for the future, even once Jacob had been born Aaron had still found himself hesitating, ready for something to come round the corner and steal it all away. And of course they hadn’t escaped bad luck, far from it. Vic and Adam had been struggling with trying for a baby and both he and Robert had had to be there to support them. For a while Andy had disappeared off the radar completely and sent Robert into such a panic that he was barely sleeping, especially when Debbie was pushing him because of Sarah. And then there was Jacob, who had been born almost four weeks premature. Robert and Aaron had sat by his incubator, one finger pushed through the hole to stroke his tiny, pink hand and marvel at how much strength was in so small a body.

But even with the fear and the worry, the happiness had endured through it all, that feeling of contentment which was a balm to every wound, every scar. It was a certainty in what he had, what he’d built alongside Robert, a confidence in the stable foundations of their life now. They were standing on cement rather than sand, and it was going to take more than a few storms to have any cracks appearing.

“You’re so much stronger together than apart,” his mum had said while he was in prison, bruised inside and out, refusing to see Robert because he couldn’t bear it. And she’d been right, as she always seemed to be these days. _Old age has made you wise_ , he’d joked with her later once he was out, and she’d gave him that knowing look, the one that said so much more than what was on the surface. She’d smacked his arm but laughed, free and easy, and the sound of it had felt like sunbeams on his skin.

He looks over now, checking to see if Robert has even stirred, but his face is still half-consumed by the pillow curled around his face. His nose is slightly red from the cold and his blonde hair is rumpled from sleep. Against the morning light, Aaron can pick out a few silvery hairs glinting through the gold and he smiles, making a mental note to tease Robert about it later, maybe when they’re sat on the sofa and Robert’s using Aaron’s feet as a hot water bottle on his lap.

Something thuds along the hallway and Aaron sighs, leaning over to press his lips to Robert’s shoulder, covered by a cotton t-shirt which smells of fabric softener and sweat and Jacob’s strawberry-flavoured toothpaste. They’ve been trying to wean Jacob off sucking his thumb at night, and so instead he’s taken to nuzzling into their shoulders when they're carrying him to bed and sucking a little on the fabric of their t-shirts. Not exactly hygienic but neither of them have had the heart to stop him, plus there's something comforting about the feel of his soft, warm huffs of breath through the cotton, his little mouth working open and shut as he sleeps.

Now Aaron slides out of bed, feet jerking a little as they hit the cold wood, and he pulls on his dressing-gown from the hook on the door before heading down towards Jacob’s room. They haven’t long got rid of the cot, despite most people saying months earlier that Jacob was old enough to be in his own bed. Aaron and Robert had wanted to wait until he was ready, and so for a good six months or so they’d put the new bed in alongside the cot just to get him used to it.

He still wasn’t overly enamoured by it but Liv had painted pirate ships all along the headboard and changed the walls into an ocean with high, frothing waves. Now he views the bed as his own personal boat for which he is the captain, and everyone indulges him in the fantasy, happy not to be woken at two in the morning because Jacob doesn’t like sleeping in it, instead wanting to get in beside Robert and Aaron.

He’s awake now, sitting up with the duvet completely over his head, just a giggling lump of quilted cotton, and Aaron leans in the doorway, arms folded against the chill as he watches his son trying to repress his own laughter.

“I can see you,” he murmurs, quiet enough not to wake Liv who is across the landing and still has another half an hour before she needs to be up, but loud enough for Jacob to hear. The boy squeals, delighted that his dad has come to get him, and immediately collapses onto the bed, flat against the mattress, as if Aaron will think he’s disappeared.

He snorts, running a hand through his thick curls, and shuffles across to the end of the bed where he can make out the circular shape of Jacob’s head. He sits down beside him, a move that elicits another squeal of surprise and then waits, counts down from five, and watches as his son squirms with impatience.

 _Just like Robert_ , he thinks with another smirk before lunging for his son’s shoulders, grabbing them through the duvet and making Jacob cry out with startled glee. Aaron immediately shushes him, realising his mistake, and then can’t help but laugh when Jacob pushes his head out from under the duvet to look up at him.

His eyes are a startling shade of blue, bright and clear and piercing. They’re an azure sky and they take Aaron’s breath away every time, from the moment Jacob first opened them, wrapped in the blue hospital blanket and cradled gently in Robert’s arms, the two of them fighting back tears.

“Time for breakfast,” Aaron says quietly, already getting up and reaching out his hand to take Jacob’s. His son waits a beat, considering his options, but eventually decides that food is as good a start to the day as any. They walk together until they reach the stairs and then Aaron hauls him onto his hip, relishing the warmth from his son’s body as Jacob wraps his arms around Aaron’s neck. The kitchen is dark and Aaron flicks on the lights as he heads over to the counter. Jacob wriggles in his arms and he lets him down so he can pour some water into the kettle, knowing Robert will be up in a minute.

“Custard Cream,” Jacob announces, his new favourite words and ones he is well-versed in saying. His pink lips press together in a pout, one that is both adorable and infuriating, and Aaron ignores him in favour of switching on the kettle and grabbing two mugs from the cupboard.

He feels the leg of his pyjama bottoms being tugged and looks down, smiling when his son stares up at him expectantly.

“Not at this time in the morning, little man,” he says, going over to take out the _Cheerios_ instead. Jacob whines for a moment but then catches sight of the new box and therefore the new puzzle on the back. His protests are silenced instantly and he clambers up onto a chair, hands outstretched for the box, and Aaron gives it to him willingly, glad to know there will be no fight today over breakfast at least. He takes a pen from Robert’s open briefcase still sat on one of the kitchen chairs and passes it to Jacob who has already started to trace the cartoon maze with his index finger.

“Ta,” comes his son’s reply, and Aaron grins, knowing just how much Robert hates that Jacob refuses to say ‘thank you’ properly.

“He gets that from your side,” Robert had muttered under his breath when Jacob had first said it, and Aaron had shoved at his arm a little, the two of them sharing a teasing smile. He’d like to say that that was as far as their bickering went these days, no heat, just fondness and a slight sarcastic bite, but they had still retained a lot of the fire which had engulfed them years before. They still fought, still slammed doors, still had to storm off in opposite directions just to be away from each other. But now there was a certainty that when they left, it was only for a minute, an hour, just something temporary until they both cooled off enough to talk. And they did – they talked more than they ever had done before, partly because of Jacob and Liv, wanting to be solid for them, but partly because of how secure they felt in their home, how settled they felt in their marriage. They knew the other was going to be there, ready and waiting, and somehow that made it so much easier.

The kettle puffs out a plume of steam and Aaron watches it click off with a low rumble. He can already hear Robert’s footsteps upstairs and so he pours the hot water into the mugs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Behind him he can hear Jacob humming to himself as he follows the colourful labyrinth with Robert’s pen, straying from the lines and then frowning until he manages to get back between the margins. Aaron watches him from the counter as he takes a tentative sip of his coffee, marvelling, not for the first time, that Jacob exists, that he’s _theirs_.

The stairs creak and Robert appears at the bottom, running a hand through his fine, gold hair and shuffling over to the kitchen. He squeezes Jacob’s shoulder, his hand looking even larger next to his son’s small frame, and then sighs as Aaron passes him his mug, _World’s Best Dad_ written in bold letters on the side. Robert had had to excuse himself for a few minutes after he’d opened that particular present, clearing his throat as he stood in the cool porch to pull himself together. Aaron had never loved him more than in that moment, leaving Jacob on the floor surrounded by Christmas wrapping paper so he could pull Robert into an embrace, hands rubbing at his back as Robert fought to get his breathing under control.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting-” he’d tried to say before breaking off again, voice shattering as he buried his face in the crook of Aaron’s neck. They’d stayed there for a few more moments, swaying together until it became too cold and then went back in, Jacob now absorbed in the lego set which Chas had got him, completely oblivious to the redness around Robert’s eyes.

“Thank you,” Robert says now, quiet and a little hoarse, as he gulps down a mouthful without wincing. Aaron had once commented that Robert must be immune to heat and Robert had laughed, dragging him in by the waist and replied: “Pretty sure there’s one hot thing I’m not immune to,” before pressing Aaron into the wall and kissing him before he had a chance to roll his eyes.

They haven’t lost that either, that ache low in their bellies, that magnetic pull which has them fitting together instinctually. A hand on the other’s hip, noses brushing, teeth grazing over skin, breath mingling and growing hot. Aaron had worried, late at night when the doubts crept in, that Robert would get bored as he had done with Chrissie, but if anything Robert had only gotten more present. After Jacob was born, he immediately decided to start working from home so he could be there at all times for their son, and even now he refused to take on too many clients so that he could focus his attention on his family.

Aaron watches him now, going over to lean against the table as Jacob lifts the box for Robert’s inspection, his smile triumphant. There is barely any maze left to be seen, the biro having overlapped itself as Jacob re-did his attempts to get to the centre, but Robert still looks at it as though Jacob has solved a quadratic equation.

“I did it,” Jacob says as if he needs to hammer the point home and Robert immediately laughs, ruffling his son’s hair before turning back to Aaron, his eyes shining with pride.

“Think our kid’s going to be a genius, you know,” he remarks, bringing the box over to show Aaron who gives him a slightly admonishing look for always giving Jacob a big head. But he has to admit he stares at the maze for far longer than he needs to, fingers stroking across the hard, black indents where Jacob had pushed the pen in more forcefully than necessary.

“Well done,” he says, lifting his gaze to Jacob’s expectant one and smiles as his son ducks his head, cheeks rosy with embarrassment. He still remembers the first time Jacob had done that, the first time they’d shown him praise and he’d hidden his face, skin flushing pink. Robert had nuzzled against Aaron’s neck and whispered: “God, he’s so like you,” and Aaron had barely been able to speak, too full with happiness and love as he pulled Robert in for a kiss, short and sweet and lingering.

“And you know what’ll make me even prouder?” Aaron continues now, coming out of the memory as he places his coffee down on the table. Jacob looks up, curious, and Aaron nudges the bowl of Cheerios towards him. “If you eat up all your breakfast,” he finishes with a soft smile and Jacob huffs a breath but doesn’t complain, picking up his spoon reluctantly and pushing the first mouthful between his parted lips. Some of the sugary milk dribbles down his chin and Aaron grabs a dishtowel from the back of the chair and wipes it away quickly, kissing the top of Jacob’s head afterwards.

“Got much on today?” Robert asks, putting toast on for both of them and then reaching for Jacob’s lunchbox that’s still sat next to the sink from yesterday. Aaron shrugs, taking another gulp of his coffee.

“Mainly paperwork, not too many cars needing scrapping at the moment. Yard’s almost cleared.”

Robert nods, grabbing the butter from the fridge. “So home early, then?” There’s just a hint of something in his voice, not enough that anyone else would catch it, but Aaron’s always been far more attune to Robert, reading him like braille.

“Should be. Why, got anything planned for us?” He says it innocently enough but Robert’s smirk breaks into a grin all the same and he flicks his eyes up to meet Aaron’s, the two of them sharing an unspoken promise that’s well-practised by now.

He turns back to the sandwich he’s currently making for Jacob’s lunch, lips still quirked upwards. “Might have a few ideas,” he admits, cutting the sandwich into triangles just the way Jacob likes and putting them into a sealed food bag.

Aaron says nothing more, just places his hand low at Robert’s back as he leans over to put his mug into the sink. He notes the slightly exaggerated rise of Robert’s chest as he breathes in and hides a smile, satisfied that he’s got his husband suitably worked up before he has to leave for the scrapyard. It’s his favourite past-time now, teasing Robert mercilessly before running out the door, leaving him frustrated and wanting. It usually results in a lot of fairly explicit texts detailing how he’s going to get Aaron back and some pretty incredible sex once he’s returned home (or occasionally when he’s still at work if Robert can convince Adam to bugger off).

“Come on then, little man. Let’s get you dressed,” he says, seeing that Jacob has now pushed his bowl away. Jacob slips off the seat just as Liv is descending the stairs, her hair falling out of her ponytail, eyes still half-shut as she groans.

“I’ll be so glad when this term’s done,” she mumbles, falling into a chair and immediately resting her head on the table. Robert represses a chuckle and goes to make her some tea while Jacob rushes over to push his head under Liv’s arm. Aaron hears her snort a few seconds later when Jacob kisses her cheek, the two of them tangled together and giggling uncontrollably.

“Thanks munchkin,” she says, ruffling his hair as he smiles and heads back over to Aaron who lifts him up onto his hip again. They make their way upstairs just as Robert is asking Liv about her coursework, a question which elicits a sound that closely resembles that of a dying animal. Aaron smirks and heads along to Jacob’s bedroom, already trying to work out if he has time to grab a shower or if he’ll just need to liberally apply deodorant instead.

 _And you thought fatherhood would be difficult_ , he thinks to himself as he’s picking out a pair of soft denim jeans and a fairisle jumper for Jacob to wear. He frowns, finding two more items of clothing in the drawer that he knows weren’t there a few days ago. He sighs, knowing he’ll have to have yet another word with either Robert or his mum, whoever has decided to buy him something else that he’s only going to grow out of in a few months.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting our boy to look his best,” Robert had said when Aaron had confronted him on it about six months ago. Aaron had been about to argue but Chas had stepped in, annoyingly siding with Robert.

“He needs to look smart for nursery. Can’t have him sticking out like a sore thumb,” she’d said, as if Aaron was suggesting they dress their child in a binbag. He’d decided not to put up too much of a fight though, mainly because part of him did think it was adorable seeing Jacob in all his little outfits, not that he’d dare admit that out loud.

“Right, little man, strip off so we can get you dressed,” he says, kneeling down so Jacob can step into his fresh underpants and then helps him wiggle into his trousers. Jacob jumps once, twice, until they slide over his skinny hips and then Aaron does up the fly and button for him.

“Arms up,” he instructs and Jacob complies, stretching onto his tiptoes as Aaron tugs the warm, wool jumper over his head, his dark hair sticking up in all directions afterwards. Aaron takes a brush to it, smoothing out the strands until they’re back being a glossy dark brown.

“Look at you, eh? Give us a twirl.”

Jacob spins on one leg, arms out wide, and finishes with a bow that’s so confident and dramatic that Aaron can’t help but laugh, reminded instantly of Robert.

“Perfect,” he says, still chuckling, and then beckons for his son to follow him back down to the kitchen. They take their time on the stairs, Jacob’s little legs wobbling a little, his hand gripping onto Aaron’s until they reach the bottom.

Liv wolf-whistles when she sees them and Robert comes over to crouch down in front of him, smoothing out a rumple of fabric over Jacob’s shoulder.

“As handsome as your daddy,” he says, glancing up at Aaron for just a second before giving Jacob a quick peck on the forehead. Jacob rubs away the wet mark though he’s grinning and does another little twirl purely for Robert’s benefit.

 _Attention seeker_ , Aaron thinks fondly and knows Robert’s thought something along the same lines, the two of them rolling their eyes just a little once Jacob has run off to turn the television on.

“He takes that off you,” Aaron mutters as he heads back towards the stairs, glancing at the clock and calculating exactly how quick a shower he could take given he only has fifteen minutes at most before he has to leave.

“I’m not the one who got him started on this spinning nonsense,” Robert counters, raising an eyebrow pointedly, and Aaron can’t argue with that. He’d only done it to give Jacob a bit of confidence before he’d started nursery, but now he realised that their son was totally, completely comfortable in his own skin. He strutted around most of the time like he owned the place, no doubt something he copied from his equally-confident daddy.

“I’m gonna grab a shower before we leave,” he says and Robert lets his gaze slide down the length of Aaron’s body for a second at most. Aaron feels a chill creep up his spine all the same.

“No,” he says firmly before Robert has a chance to remind him, for the hundredth time, how truly big their shower is and hurries up the stairs, the sound of cartoons fading as he closes the bathroom door behind him.

In his rush to get showered, he ends up using Jacob’s kids shampoo instead of his own and almost blinds himself when the stinging foam drips into his eye. He towels his hair dry, still wincing, and then heads back into their bedroom, grabbing a pair of black jeans and a clean t-shirt from the drawer. When he’d first taken Jacob to nursery he’d gone in a suit, believing that if he wasn’t dressed like a banker then people would judge him, but quickly realised that most were dropping their kids off in jeans and hoodies. Still, it hadn’t been all bad, Robert had definitely enjoyed the extra effort Aaron had put in and had shown his appreciation enthusiastically once they were on their own.

When he goes back downstairs, Jacob is sandwiched between Liv and Robert on the sofa in front of the TV, Liv whispering something into the boy’s ear while Robert tangles his fingers into Jacob’s hair. He stays on the bottom step, staring at the three of them, chest expanding with pride at this little family that’s all his, before clearing his throat.

Robert turns and then immediately wraps an arm around his son’s waist, scooping him up much to Jacob’s confusion and annoyance.

“Come on, little bear,” he says, carrying Jacob under his arm until they reach the hallway where he grabs the navy duffle coat from the hook and puts Jacob back on the floor to slide his arms through the sleeves.

“Let me look at you then.” Jacob shuffles forward, socks sliding a little on the floorboards as he comes to stand in front of Robert who’s crouched down, smiling. “Think you’re all set. Come give your daddy bear a kiss.”

Aaron loves this, can’t help grinning as Jacob squirms a little inside his coat before rushing over to plant a wet kiss against Robert’s cheek. Robert leans into it, smiling too, and then wraps both arms around his son and growls low into Jacob’s neck, making the boy wriggle and laugh. Aaron can’t remember when Robert started doing it, when it became this little bit the two had choreographed before leaving for nursery, but Aaron’s heart swells every single time no matter how often he’s seen it played out.

Eventually Robert lets him go, chuckling, and Jacob goes to put his shoes on, coming back a second later with the laces slapping against the floor. Robert kneels to do them up, explaining the method with a patience which is entirely reserved for those within these walls. Jacob concentrates hard on Robert’s hands and the knot he’s forming, tongue peeking out from his full, pink lips, and nods once Robert’s done as though he understands, even though he’ll have forgotten the whole thing by the time he’s gotten into the car.

“Mum says I didn’t learn how to tie my laces until I was seven,” Aaron says and Robert gets up, groaning a little as his knee cracks worryingly.

“Yeah, but our boy is a bright spark. Wait and see, he’ll have it mastered in a few months,” Robert replies and Aaron decides not to remind Robert to go easy on Jacob. They both want what’s best for him, but Robert likes to push Jacob, wants him to be the very best he can be, reach higher and higher. He’s proud, that’s all it is, but he can’t help but worry all the same, fearing that Jacob will start to push himself harder and harder to meet Robert’s expectations. It’s not something he’s broached properly yet, and Jacob’s only three, it’s not like it’s a real issue, but in the absence of any other problems lately, this one has latched onto Aaron’s thoughts.

“Right, better get going,” he says, grabbing his own jacket and pulling it on. Robert slides a hand round his waist, warm and heavy at his side, and kisses the corner of his mouth.

“Drive safe,” Robert answers, pupils blown wide with repressed need. Aaron wants to say _fuck it_ and head straight back upstairs, dragging Robert behind him, but knows it’s not an option. Not right now, anyway. So instead he pulls him back in for another kiss, a proper one this time, tongues sliding together for a few blissful moments, until they both pull back, sated.

“I’ll finish early today… get home about two,” he manages, breath coming in short rasps as he takes Jacob’s hand and leads him out to the gravel driveway where Aaron’s car is parked. Robert leans in the porch doorway, arms folded across his chest.

“Looking forward to it,” he calls, an intensity to every word, and Aaron refuses to look back as he straps Jacob into his car-seat, feeling the lust building slowly in his gut. He slides into the driver’s seat and immediately starts the engine, putting the heating up full blast to take away the winter chill inside the car, and then cracks the window enough to say:

“Love you. See you later.”

Robert lifts a hand in goodbye, waving more at Jacob who has his nose pressed up against the window, and calls an ‘I love you’ to them both as Aaron drives off. He catches sight of Jacob in the rear-view mirror as he turns onto the main street, already lost in his own world as he flicks through one of the children’s books strewn across the backseat, and slows the car at the junction just so he can have another moment of simply watching his son.

 _We've made it_ , is the only thought that enters his head, but it settles across him like a warm weight, a comforting hand on his shoulder. He puts the car back into gear and checks the main road before driving off, already smiling.

_I’ve made it._


End file.
